Most of us are familiar with the story of the five loaves and the two fish. To feed a large crowd with so little food was a miracle, but we may miss the point of the story if we leave it at that.

            It is no secret that our world in general, and our nation in particular, is made up of haves and have-nots. While some have more than they will ever need, others go without even their basic needs being met.

            According to census reports, during the 30 years from 1949 to 1979, Americans, regardless of where they fit along the economic spectrum, all saw their income increase by close to the same percentage. That has not been the case over the last 30 years, however. From 1979 to 2009, the disparity between the haves and the have-nots has risen considerably. While those at the bottom now have less than they had 30 years ago, those at the top have more, and many in the middle group have slid downward.

A wide divide

            This reality has not only brought about a rise in poverty in a country blessed with enough resources for everyone; it has also created an ideological and social rift that continues to grow into a wide divide. On the one side are those who insist that everyone has a right to whatever they have earned with no strings attached. The thinking is that they have worked hard and should not have to share what they have with those who do not have as much. It is said that to have it otherwise would be to endorse “socialism.” On the other side of this philosophical divide are those who are equally insistent that life’s resources are

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